


Restricted

by Severely_Lupine



Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: Gen, Horror, post-DH
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-23
Updated: 2009-11-23
Packaged: 2017-10-03 14:52:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Severely_Lupine/pseuds/Severely_Lupine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the war, Hermione finds that not even the library is safe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Restricted

Finally attaining her rightful position as Head Girl did have some advantages, even if Hermione had been forced to wait an additional year.  Being able to come down here after curfew, when she didn't have to share the space with other students, was one of them.

 

The library, as with everything and everyone else in the castle, bore its marks from the war.  The entire section of Muggle literature, small though it had been, had been completely removed and replaced with pureblood propaganda.  Since the final battle, Madam Pince had worked to replace everything, but some very rare first editions had been lost. 

 

Beyond that, there was a general shabbiness to many of the books, thanks to the Carrows encouraging the children's cruelty and worse natures.  Looking at one particularly battered Herbology text, Hermione wished it had only been the books that had suffered such abuse.

 

Setting that book down, she strolled into the Restricted Section, intent on searching out some books for her N.E.W.T. preparations.  She knew nothing in them would be likely to be covered in the tests, but it never hurt to be a little extra prepared.

 

She browsed through the stacks, occasionally choosing a volume that looked both interesting and non-lethal.  Pince had warned her that some of the Darker books had grown bolder during the Carrows' tenure, more prone to inflicting harm on their readers.  Near the end of the last year, one had actually bitten a fifth-year quite severely.

 

Making her way to the back corner, she spotted a very large tome about Dark creatures.  She reached to pull it down from the shelf, but as soon as her fingers began to slide it out, it shot toward her and crashed to the ground. 

 

With a startled cry, she jumped back, and when she next looked into the space where the book had been, she saw something creeping through the gap between the books.

 

It was hideous.  Crawling out at her on thin, spindly arms and legs, dark and scaly, it reminded her of a human child, yet looked nothing at all like one.  Its movements were jerky, weak, and unnatural.  When it reached the edge of the shelf, it looked at her—red, slitted eyes in a horrifyingly reptilian face.  It opened its mouth and grinned, showing rows of sharp teeth.

 

For a long moment, Hermione was frozen to the floor in stark terror.  Her mind ran through every possible scenario, trying to figure out how Voldemort had survived, wondering what Harry could do about it this time, and calculating whether she could get out of the room before the hideous baby-thing did . . . something . . . to her.

 

But then she found her sense, withdrew her wand, and pointed it at the creature.

 

"_Riddikulus!_" she shouted.

 

With a whirl of air, the monstrosity turned into a small china doll with poofy hair and a shocked expression.  Hermione hefted the tome from the floor and shoved it back into place, trapping the boggart behind the books once again.


End file.
